Vegas Golden Knights goalie Carter Hart stirs the pot with Free Alberta t-shirt

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Carter Hart is back in the national spotlight. Unfortunately.

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And, no, thankfully, it has nothing to do with that nasty bit of business from the 2018 Hockey Canada sexual assault investigation that landed the Sherwood Park product in court, shedding some much-needed focus on the culture surrounding amateur hockey in the country and resulting in a changing of the guard at the very top of the sport’s governing body.

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No, this is something else entirely. Though his sordid past certainly plays a role in the reaction the former Philadelphia Flyers goaltender is getting today.

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Regardless of his not-guilty legal results that led to his reinstatement by the NHL and subsequent employment by the Vegas Golden Knights in their current quest for the Stanley Cup, the court of public opinion has had its own say in regard to who Hart is as a person. And those voices rang out loudly once again Tuesday after a photo surfaced on Reddit with him wearing a Free Alberta T-shirt.

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In the image, Hart is seen giving one of his sticks to a young student who made his way from Chicago to Sin City with a sign saying he just passed high-school finals. Of course, the otherwise touching moment was spoiled by Hart taking the opportunity to also give his nation the shaft by promoting the controversial slogan.

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Free Alberta would appear to be aligned with the movement promoting Alberta separatism, while recent polls indicate two-thirds of Albertans oppose the idea of independence.

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Not to get bogged down in the politics of it all, but think of it as Alberta’s version of a “rallying cry.”

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As one Reddit user put it, “I am fully behind Carter Hart separating from Canada,” which was quickly followed by another pointing out, “Might be the only way he’d play for a national team.”

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“This guy can’t stop saying and doing s___ to make people dislike him lol. It’s like he’s addicted to being the worst version of himself,” went one response, while some were quick to spread the blame, “Cause of course he’s a separatist … man, I hate my province’s leadership.”

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Free Alberta wasn’t the only logo in the photo.

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“Please take the Phillies hat off,” said one Redditor from Philadelphia. “We don’t want you to represent us in anyway.”

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